Eldar
The Aeldari, also known as the Eldar '''in gothic, are a species of sapient Xenos that exist across the breadth of the known galaxy. They are long-lived beings, with the average Eldar living for at least 800 years before dying of natural causes, and are well-known for an intense arrogance and unshakeable belief in their superiority to all other species. Ancient beyond reckoining and once the dominant race of the galaxy, the Eldar are a psychically sensitive race and have access to advanced technologies far beyond that of all other known species. Highly intelligent and wise, yet beset by intense hubris at the same time, the Eldar are an enigmatic race that - in its highly fractured state - pursues many goals in many ways across the galaxy ranging from peaceful isolationism to aggressive warfare. In the 41st Millennium the Eldar are a fractured and endangered race. While they were once the undisputed rulers of the galaxy they succumbed to a psychic catastrophe known as '''The Fall around the 29th Millennium. This explosion of psychic energies created the Eye of Terror and brought on the Age of Strife that would change the face of the galaxy forever and ultimately bring about the rise of the human Imperium, seen by most as the Eldar's successors for galactic dominance. The Fall also resulted in the death of almost the entire Eldar species, with only those who foresaw the calamity escaping with their lives. The Eldar now live across the galaxy in various enclaves and holdouts, clinging to existence as best they can. Eldar in Sector Deus 'Craftworld Eldar' The Eldar Craftworld of Wuxide lies within Sector Deus and its outlying borders. They are known as an isolationist craftworld that prefers to be diplomatic with the lesser races. They recognise that on the borders of the Halo Zone the Imperium is their best shield against fouler things from The Grave or the intergalactic void, and so do their best to maintain a neutral - and in isolated cases positive - standing with the local humans. Nevertheless they still see themselves as superior and take advantage of humans in many small scale ways, such as providing intel on certain infestations the craftworld wants removed, or redirecting the Imperial Navy into Chaos Reavers threatening their craftworld. Sometimes the Imperials in question may realise they are being manipulated, but the canny Eldar are sure to influence them into things they should theoretically be doing anyway. Regardless, if things start going poorly for the Imperium in such engagements the Wuxidians often intervene to tip the scales, as they despise things like Orks and Chaos far more than the Imperium. Ordo Xenos radicals in the Inquisition of Sector Deus are known to have somewhat frequent contact with Wuxide Craftworld, cooperating in critical matters like the elimination of chaos or other grave threats that could affect the craftworld as much as the local Imperium. Lord Inquisitor Tomas Garant is known to have had a lot of dealings with the Wuxidian Eldar, and supposedly is even counted by some of their number as a friend. Even less well known are several meetings between the Chapter Master of the Ghosts of Retribution and Farseer Adriel Evythanna of Wuxide Craftworld & the Seekers. Since the Chapter's vigil in Sector Deus began these two have met several times. 'Dark Eldar' Thanks to the galaxy spanning webway there are few places in the galaxy that have not felt the sting of Drukhari raids. Sector Deus is no exception and every now and then a Dark Eldar raid will strike an unsuspecting world. However it is only very rarely that raids will intensify to the point where the Imperial Military must actively mobilise against them to prevent total anarchy. Outside of their webway bases, some Dark Eldar can be found on Haven and other independent worlds in the Sector, acting as representatives for deals with 'lessers' or as spies & agents gathering intel for potential raids. A handful of Dark Eldar factions are known to Sector Deus more than others: *'Kabal of the Bloodmoon' - A large Kabal that controlled a powerful raiding fleet that plagued Sector Deus in the early 340s.M41. They were decimated by Battlefleet Deus in 346.M41 at the desicive Battle of Kallemuth. They are known allies of The Archrazor Cult. *'The Archrazor Cult' - A Wych Cult whose great arena is based in a relatively small webway city outside of Commoragh. They are allies of the Kabal of the Bloodmoon and are known to ply Sector Deus for the best beasts for their arena. *'Kabal of the Dying Sun '- A large and powerful Kabal based in Commoragh itself. The Kabal's Archon, Vorl-Xoelanth, led a large raid on the planet of Lituanica in 324.M41 where many thousands of slaves were claimed and several Sisters of Battle of the Order of Bloody Tears were killed. *'Soultakers of Ragyr' - A small, weak Kabal that controls no ships. The Soultakers enact small opportunistic raids but in order to acquire the slaves & resources they need have resorted to acting as mercenaries for hire. They are known to have representatives on Haven. 'Exodite Eldar' Sector Deus has two Exodite Worlds, Amar'eth and Ourona, and they are left untouched by the Imperium due to the protection of Wuxide Craftworld. They are known to have strong ties with Wuxide but have little impact on the wider Sector. 'Outcast Eldar' Sector Deus does not grapple with totally hostile Corsairs much, as Wuxide's influence discourages them from threatening to provoke the local Imperium. Still there are occassionally small Corsair attacks on Imperial shipping that can cause no small amount of frustration for the Imperial Navy. Nearby Wuxide ensures that there are plenty of other Outcasts wandering Sector Deus. Rangers can be found in many of the Sector's largest forests - but only if they want to be - while other outcasts of all kinds including entertainers & mercenaries can be found on independent worlds or even the fringes of Imperial society. Some Outcast factions have formed within Sector Deus, some of the known ones are: *'The Seekers' - A group of Outcasts deboted to recovering lost Soulstones to return to their craftworlds of origin - predominantly Wuxide. *'Blades of Taronyel' - A mercenary faction that controls a number of ships. Led by Prince Taronyel, Outcast of Wuxide, this faction is fairly amoral and has assaulted targets of all kinds for payment. They also have a large underclass of non-Eldar personnel for grunt and infiltration work. 'Harlequins' There have been scattered reports of Harlequin sightings around Sector Deus in the past, though they have not been known to operate in the region in any massive or ongoing capacity. The Fortress World of Malta has reported sighting them more often than others, the Harlequins appearing in the midst of battle to kill specific daemons and heretics before disappearing just as quickly. Presumably they visit Wuxide Craftworld on occasion to perform their historical reenactments. Lord Inquisitor Tomas Garant has supposedly seen a Harlequin performance, a gift to him from Wuxide Craftworld after he saved one of their Autarchs from death at the hands of an Ork Warboss. In 341.M41 a single Harlequin appeared within the Lord General's Palace on Athena Prime, surrendering themself without a fight. They were transferred to Nobis where they remained imprisoned for eleven months, before seemingly vanishing from their cell without a trace. Biology The Eldar are remarkably humanoid in basic structure. They have two arms, two legs, a prominent upright stature and head, five digits on each limb and smooth elastic skin with hair located mostly on the top of the head. Their joints follow the same pattern as humans, though are noted as significantly more flexible. They also have sophisticated vocal chords that allow for a full range of speech patterns, and sharp eyes that are slightly narrower and more colourful than human eyes but otherwise the same in function. However there are many small - yet extremely important - differences in biology between humans and Eldar. Most obviously Eldar are significantly taller, standing roughly a head higher than humans making males around 6.5 feet tall on averge and females 6 feet tall on average, though within their species there is significant height variance just as with humans. The Eldar also have distinctive ears with sharp, pointed tips, and their bodies are overall more slender and lithe than a human of comparable height. Their skin has fewer blemishes and imperfections, and is typically more pale than human skin though is capable of darkening through prolonged exposure to natural sunlight (Xenoscholars are unsure whether the Eldar's typically paler skin is natural or a result of their isolated existence within artificial environments away from natural starlight). These superficial differences all add up to make Eldar clearly distinct from humans, yet not enough to deny a clear resemblance. However it is under the skin that the Eldar's truly alien nature lies. Eldar physicality is superior in almost every way to humanity. All their senses are more perceptive, and their reaction speed and physical agility are far beyond anything an unmodified human can attain. Their movements are inhumanly fluid, precise, and swift, and at high speeds they can appear as little more than a blur to human eyes. In terms of strength and toughness Eldar are roughly on-par with humans despite their lower muscle mass, but their incredibly swiftness adds potency to their strikes by negating an opponent's ability to react. The skeletal structure is slightly more fragile but less brittle than humans, so while it requires more distortion to break or crack their bones they also take longer to recover naturally (however Eldar technology helps them heal at prodigious speeds). Perhaps most notable is the Eldar's astoundingly long natural lifespan. Eldar natural lifespan is roughly ten times that of a typical human, with most dying of 'old age' at around 800-1000 years old. The Eldar's natural juvenile stage lasts approximately 100 years, and while they start to physically degrade in their final centuries it is not to the same degree as humans, with most Eldar remaining fairly active right up until their final sickness & death. Eldar also have extremely fast metabolisms and a higher body temperature than humans. Their blood sugar levels are extremely high and allows them to expend large amounts of energy without tiring. This also gives them a very high nutrient demand despite their highly efficient digestive system, meaning Eldar are poorly suited to long-term survival in environments sparse in nutrition. Sexual dimorphism between Eldar is also dramatically less than it is between humans. While their variations in height can affect raw strength proportionally, Eldar males and females are broadly identical in strength, speed, perception, and resilience. Like most mammals they reproduce by the male impregnating the female who then carries their joined genetic material to birth, thus making the female more critical for maintaining population just as with humans. The fact that they are physically equivalent between genders despite this has led some xenoscholars to suggest the entire race was engineered or genetically modified into their current state, as natural evolution would be unlikely to produce such an equality. Despite their conventional methods of reproduction the Eldar population remains endangered due to another limitation on their population growth, the availability of Spirit Stones (explained later). Despite all this, the most dramatic difference between humans and Eldar is not on the surface or under the skin, but in the soul itself. The Eldar are a universally psychic race, with every single one having an intrinsic link to the powers of the warp and the ability to bend its energies to their will. For most Eldar this is generally limited to basic sensory and connective ability (for example sensing the warp, receiving telepathic communications, or interacting with psychically sensitive equipment). However - much like humans - some Eldar far exceed this in power. These powerful Eldar psykers often hold stations of high importance in their respective factions, and are blessed with even greater lifespans than their kin which can stretch into many thousands of years, before psychic energies slowly begin to turn them into living warpcrystal. History Eldar history stretches back millions of years. Before humanity had mastered the hand tool the Eldar were plying the stars in their elegant voidcraft and ruling the galaxy undisputed. Naturally most of this era, known as the Pre-Human Age, is completely unknown to Imperial scholars, and what little that is known was almost always gleaned from Eldar lips. Supposedly the Eldar were warriors who fought for their 'gods' and used the powers of a then-calm warp to cleanse the galaxy of 'evil' many millions of years ago in a conflict called the War in Heaven. Following the War in Heaven the Eldar gods left the physical realm and became warp beings that were worshipped by the Eldar as a pantheon of beings that represented various aspects of life. For millions of years following this the Eldar ruled the galaxy and worshipped their gods, but deep within the intensely psychic psyche of the Eldar a disaster was already forming. The War in Heaven had supposedly turned the warp into the chaotic realm that is known today, and the rise of humanity along weith other warp-sensitive species made it even more tumultuous as malevolent warp beings and Chaos Gods began to coalesce. Already cursed with an emotional sensitivity that constantly drove them to seek ever-greater sensations, the Eldar were further corrupted by their connection to an increasingly-evil warp, and the Eldar Empire began to fall into ever-greater excesses. What began with art & performance descended into conflict & cruelty. Torture, murder, savagery and all other excesses of the most disgusting kind became fodder for the Eldar psyches that hungered for new experiences to sate their emotional needs, and deep within the warp their spiritual corruption began to manifest. Known as the Pre-Fall Age this period aligns with humanity's Dark Age of Technology, and in this misty period of time the majority of the Eldar Empire was located within the region of space that is now the Eye of Terror. To avoid conflicts it is believed that humanity mostly spread elsewhere across the galaxy, avoiding the growing sadism of the Eldar. Both Ages for both species would come to an end with The Fall. The Eldar's degeneracy gave birth to a new god within the warp, and this explosion in the empyrean caused havoc across the galaxy. The Eye of Terror was born, swallowing the majority of the Eldar race in an instant, and warp storms across the galaxy cut off and engulfed human worlds and colonies. Alien races and warp creatures preyed upon the vulnerable enclaves of humanity, throwing the species into disarray that was only saved by the coming of the Emperor and the Great Crusade. The Eldar however were driven to near-extinction by The Fall and almost all their gods were consumed by the chaos being they had created. The only survivors were enclaves that had foreseen the coming calamity - a tiny minority of the species that had been held in contempt by their doomed fellows. Those that remained were fractured and scattered across the entire galaxy, and the unified Eldar Empire was no more. The Eldar were now a doomed race. Before The Fall the Eldar had enjoyed a form of immortality, their powerful souls enduring within the warp after death before being returned to a new physical form created with their advanced technology. But after The Fall the chaos god that they had created, Slaanesh, hungered for Eldar souls above all others and whenever any Eldar died their souls were consumed by 'She Who Thirsts'. Avoiding this fate is the main goal of all Eldar. But the different factions use highly varying methods which are explained later. Through the Age of the Imperium the Eldar have clung to existence, influencing the fate of the galaxy where they can and acting both for and against other species whenever it suits them. Their self-serving, often duplicitous nature has led the Eldar race to become distrusted amongst most other species. While some factions of the Eldar remnants are openly hostile and cruel to all life, thus making the species even more detested. Despite this modern Eldar are perhaps the most varied of all species besides humanity, and while broad generalities exist the various Eldar factions and groups can act in highly different ways to achieve highly different goals. 'The Eldar Gods' The Eldar once worshipped a great pantheon of gods inspired by their creators. Each god represented a different aspect of life and amongst those known to humanity are: *'Asuryan, King of the Gods' - Mightiest of the Eldar Pantheon. Consumed in The Fall. *'Vaul, God of Forging' - Deity to Eldar craftsmen and makers of all things. Consumed in The Fall *'Kaela Mensha Khaine, God of War' - Second only to Asuryan in might and deity of Eldar Warriors. Khaine survived The Fall but was scattered into thousands of pieces. Each shard dwells inside a Craftworld and can be temporarily awakened into an Avatar of Khaine, an enormous beast that scours the battlefield in fire that burns hotter than a star. *'Cegorach, The Laughing God' - An artist and trickster, and the deity of the Harlequins. The only Eldar god to survive The Fall unharmed thanks to his cunning nature. Cagorach is the undisputed master of the webway and seems utterly devoted to the destruction of Chaos. *'Isha, Goddess of the Harvest' - Considered a patron of life & healing. Isha was lost in The Fall but Eldar rumours suggest she was 'saved' from Slaanesh by Nurgle, who has imprisoned her in his Garden of Pestilence since The Fall. Craftworld Eldar Arguably the most significant Eldar remnant faction on a galactic scale, the Craftworld Eldar ply the stars in enormous craftworlds that house millions of their kind. Each craftworld is a nation unto itself, though cooperation between them is not unheard of (and conflict, while rare, is also not impossible between them). They are a force of order within the galaxy, intensely opposed to violent & disorderly elements such as orks and other savage xenos, and they are doubly hateful of the forces of Chaos due to their psychic connection to the warp and the dangers it poses to them. However many Craftworld Eldar also express a disdain towards all 'lower' forms of life including humanity. So while most craftworlds will not go out of their way to attack humans for the sake of it, they would not hesitate to manipulate or sacrifice humans by the millions to benefit themselves. Still this is a broad generality, as the many craftworlds in the galaxy can vary greatly in ideology from intensely militant to religiously pacifistic. 'Overview' Craftworld Eldar are descended from Eldar who foresaw The Fall and fled the Eldar Empire aboard giant nomadic worldships called Craftworlds. While many were caught in the formation of the Eye of Terror many others successfully escaped the doom of the Eldar, and were scattered across the galaxy as they adjusted to their new reality. In the Age of the Imperium the Craftworld Eldar have helped & hindered humanity in many ways across the millennia. The Craftworld Eldar's goals vary, but they are primarily concerned with their own survival and will go to any lengths to ensure this. Manipulating other races into fighting each other to protect themselves is a common tactic of Craftworld Eldar, for example by leading an Imperial Battlegroup into an Ork Waagh headed for a Craftworld (or indeed leading an Ork Waagh into an Imperial Battlegroup doing the same). In the same vein however they can also see fit to aid humanitty against their many common enemies such as the forces of chaos, and if an Eldar Craftworld is using Imperial Forces to combat an incoming Ork Waagh they may also see fit to aid the forces they have already manipulated into dying for them, in order to ensure victory. Perhaps the most frequent military cooperation between humans and Eldar takes place around the Eye of Terror, where both the Imperium and the Craftworlds hurl their forces against the rampaging forces of Chaos to prevent the galaxy's doom. While the Eldar may - in their own opinion - act practically and with reason, they are influenced by the powerful Seers of their society whose prophecies can see them acting in seemingly illogical and unexpected ways. A Seer may foresee that a human from an Imperial world will one day bring misfortune to their Craftworld, and the Craftworld's response could be to genocide the entire Imperial world in question for - to the humans - no apparent reason. Such actions serve to bring further disdain upon the Eldar by those races they deem lesser than themselves. Worsening perceptions further are the malicious actions of other Eldar factions who are often mistaken for Craftworlders (assuming the victims in question are aware of any such distinction at all). Because of their contradictary & unpredictable nature, most Imperial leaders prefer to take a neutral approach to Craftworld Eldar rather than attack them and make them an enemy for certain. While this is at-odds with official Imperial Dogma it is widely considered a practical necessity, as the Eldar - when suitably motivated - are capable of burning entire Imperial worlds with their advanced technology and potent military foces. Craftworlds also watch over the Maiden Worlds. Uinhabited planets that were seeded with terraforming and evolution enhancing life by the Eldar Empire long ago. These worlds are considered Eldar property, and represent the distant possibility that their species may one day restore their planetary Empire. 'Soulstones' With the chaos god Slaanesh now hungering for their souls in death, the Craftworld Eldar began to used Spirit Stones (also known as Soulstones) to preserve their souls after death. Every Craftworld Eldar carries one of these on their person at all times, andt hese polished palm-sized gems capture the soul of the wearer before it dissipates into Limbo and then the empyrean. Filled Soulstones can be returned to the psychoactive network of a craftworld - known as the Infinity Circuit - where the Eldar soul joins others in an immortal afterlife watching over their living kin within the worldship. Thus Eldar will always fight to the very last to preserve their craftworld, for they fight for the souls of all their ancestors. However these Soulstones can only be harvested from the barren warped crust of the dangerous Crone Worlds, the old worlds of the Eldar Empire inside the Eye of Terror. While Soulstones can be reused after the soul within has been uploaded to an infinity circuit, the number of available stones puts a hard limit on the population of a Craftworld and thus Craftworld Eldar have remained an endangered species for ten thousand years. Expeditions to the Crone Worlds are launched as often as the Craftworld Eldar dare, but there are never enough available Soulstones. 'Society' Eldar Craftworlds have complex social systems which can vary extremely. Some craftworlds may practice absolute equality between all Eldar within, while others may be based around multiple clans and tribes within the craftworld itself. Some could be absolute monarchies while others are ruled by democratically selected elders. Most however follow a social system somewhat similar to that of a typical Imperial world, with 'common' Eldar living in small familial units and providing their labour to the Craftworld as they socialise with other common Eldar within their local habitation areas. Meanwhile Dynasties of Eldar Nobility tend to occupy the higher stratas of society and often own large territories within their craftworld and lead a large number of commoners. The Eldar class system seems to be more mobile and less disdainful than that of a typical human world, but can still be deeply entrenched. 'The Paths' In order to avoid the same spiritual decay that destroyed the Eldar Empire, the Craftworld Eldar practice a strict - almost monastic - system of discipline called the Paths of the Eldar. Due to their intense emotional sensitivity Eldar seek to achieve perfection in their pursuits in order to satisfy their psyche, and in order to limit the influence of this deep need the Path system forces each Craftworlder to take on only a single pursuit at any one time, a single Path. Paths can vary greatly in breadth & length, depending on their applications and extremes. Civilian Paths such as craftsmen, entertainers, and service providers are often quite broad in scope allowing an Eldar to spend many years of their long life within it. Others are more specialised, such as the Path of the Mariner devoted to voidfaring. 'Path of the Warrior' A unique path in that an Eldar rarely chooses to walk it. As a warrior race some Eldar are known to find themselves feeling consumed with a desire for conflict and violence, and must walk the strict Path of the Warrior to prevent themselves from being consumed with bloodlust. The attitude towards the Path of the Warrior varies between craftworlds. Some see it as an honourable and righteous calling, while others see it as a curse for Eldar that are practically beset with an insanity. Regardless of this these Warriors make up the critical bulk of a Craftworlds military forces and are extremely dangerous combatants. There are several 'Aspects' within the Path of the Warrior, each focusing on a single aspect of warfare giving Craftworlds a well-balanced mixture of Aspect Warriors (though some lean towards certain Warrior Paths more than others). Eldar on the Path of the Warrior undergo constant training in their respective temples, and in battle they wear War Masks that help them adopt the personality of their Aspect, dissociating their own vulnerable psyches from the brutality they inflict. However not all Eldar Warriors are capable of sating their lust for war and hanging up their mask, and a cursed few become lost on the Path of the Warrior. These 'Exarchs' are leaders of Aspect Warriors in battle and are extremely dangerous. 'Path of the Seer' This is a Path for those Craftworld Eldar who exhibit a greater connection to the warp than their common kin, and have the ability to summon great powers from the warp. The longest and most treacherous Path in the Craftworlds, this is devoted to mastering their control of the warp and their link to the Empyrean. Warlocks are Eldar psykers on the Path of the Seer that had previously walked a Path of the Warrior, and are common field commanders. Bonesingers are psykers that have devoted themselves to the mastery of forming wraithbone - solidified warp energy - into any form needed by the Eldar, and Wraithbone is almost limitless in its uses. Farseers are lost on the Path of the Seer, and are capable of summoning storms, forseeing events centuries in advance, and living for thousands of years. Farseers are often amongst the senior leaders on any Craftworld, alongside various councils of elders and warriors. Eldar psykers have a stark contrast with human psykers. Eldar psykers are much more measured & controlled and tend to exhibit more powerful abilities on average, however they are unable - or perhaps unwilling - to match the capabilities of the rarest & most potent human psykers who can summon great firestorms and crack titans in two. 'Path of Command' Seen as the highest military pursuit, any Eldar walking this path will have already walked at least one - though often several - Paths of the Warrior. Eldar on this path are known as Autarchs and each one commands a large force of Craftworld warriors known as a Warhost. Warhosts vary dramatically in size from strike forces of a few dozen to grand armies of thousands, and typically an Autarch's experience & abilities will determine the size of the Warhost they command. Typically a Craftworld's governing body will grant forces to an Autarch and charge them with a general objective, leaving it up to the Autarch to achieve this how they see fit. Autarchs are legendary warriors and strategists, and a craftworld's most senior Autarchs will often be their most important leaders in general. In times of cataclysm when an entire craftworld must mobilise for war, a single Autarch will often be empowered with absolute command over the Craftworld to see it through the crisis. 'Military' The core of the Craftworld Eldar military are their Aspect Warriors which cover all the main spheres of warfare from scouting to fire support to close combat. These warriors are armed with extremely advanced weapons and armour that increase their lethality tenfold beyond their physicality and training, and they also utilise a full range of esoteric hovering vehicles that tend to be fragile but swift, agile, and capable of firing holes straight through battle tanks. Each Aspect Warrior is a precious life so Craftworlds - if forced to engage in conflict directly - tend to avoid pitched battles and favour guerilla-style ambushes and hit & run warfare, running rings around their slower foes as they pick them off in exchange for minimal casualties. Pitched battles are sometimes unavoidable however, and when the Craftworld Eldar are forced to face the ravages of open warfare on their endangered populations they utilise the mightiest war machines like super-heavy hover tanks and graceful Eldar titans, technologies so advanced they appear as magic to the lesser races. A Craftworld's Aspect Warriors are however limited in number, and if they find themselves in dire need of greater numbers they use 'Guardians'. Guardians are volunteer and conscripted civilian-soldiers who add numbers to the Craftworld's battle lines, and many may have walked the Path of the Warrior previously. Their potent physiologies and advanced technology ensure that Guardians are still more than a match for the standard warriors of most of their enemies, though it is typically only a desperate Craftworld that resorts to their use. The final element of the Eldar military are Wraith Constructs, also known as Ghost Warriors. These are wraithbone warriors of many shapes and sizes that are inhabited & controlled by the souls of deceased Eldar. They are extremely potent in battle but rarely used, for the Eldar are loathe to risk the eternal souls of their departed kin in battle. 'Fleet' The Craftworld Eldar control some of the finest starfaring vessels in existence. Swift and agile beyond reckoning with potent weapons that can scythe through adamantium with terrifying accuracy, the vessels of the Craftworld Eldar are few in number - relatively speaking - but incredibly dangerous. They also have very small crews compared to comparable vessels of other species, and are at least partially controlled by spirits that live within their wraithbone structure. The Craftworlds themselves are technically voidships of course, but are slow to manouvre and function more like small planetary bodies that voidships in battle. Surrounding each Craftworld though will be a fleet of wraithbone vessels that protect their home or depart on expeditions on the command of the Craftworld's leaders. Also of note are the Haven-class Spires. These large wraithbone space stations can be found dotted throughout the galaxy in hidden locations are are notoriously difficult to detect. They can serve as regional moorings for craftworld vessels, or even bases for Outcast Corsair factions. 'The Webway' The Eldar have a great fear of the warp, and instead traverse the galaxy using the Webway. The Webway is a complex network of tunnels through the warp itself, that are stable within their walls and protected from the swirling emotional energies that would overwhelm an Eldar in moments. The Webway is a colossal labyrinthine network built long ago by the Eldar's precursor gods where the warped physics of its medium allows a kilometre trip through a tunnel to cover thousands of lightyears in realspace, or pehaps none at all. The webway is almost a galaxy unto itself existing beneath the veil of realspace, and it connects to realspace via great wraithbone constructs known as Webway gates. Webway gates and tunnels vary dramatically in size. Man-sized examples can be found hidden amongst almost every habitable world in the galaxy, while larger vehicle or titan-sized examples tend to be rarer. Colossal webway gates able to accommodate voidships can be found drifting in the dark outer reaches of seemingly most systems in the galaxy, utterly undetectible in the black void as Eldar use them to come and go as they please. Eldar vessels may deploy webway gates directly onto planets to facilitate the movement of troops, and the great Craftworlds themselves are home to enormous Webway Nexuses that hold Webway gates of every size imaginable. While the Webway is more stable than the warp, it is still a treacherous realm and only the Eldar know its secrets and dangers. It is indeed a foolish human that steps into a Webway gate without an Eldar to guide them, and only the Eldar are known to be capable of activating the seemingly psycho-reactive gates at all. Dark Eldar (Drukhari) The Drukhari (or Dark Eldar in gothic) are the other half of the Eldar race, embodying the malice, cruelty and excesses of the Eldar Empire before its collapse. Utterly self-serving above all things, even each other, the Dark Eldar are raiders & slavers of legendary notoriety and for 10,000 years they have terrorised the breadth of the galaxy for little more than their own enjoyment. 'Overview' In the latter stages of the Eldar Empire large enclaves formed within massive planetary-sized chambers inside the Webway itself. Built & ruled by powerful figures & Eldar nobility, their location within the webway protected them - to a degree - from The Fall, and though much of the webway was damaged and entire societies lost, some sadistic denizens of the Eldar Empire had survived. Using their peerless technology these survivors created enormous cities within the webway, and thousands of these enclaves & redoubts exist across the webway even today. However the grandest of them all by far is Commoragh - the Dark City. Comparable in scale to a planetary body, Commoragh is home to countless Eldar along with other sapients and strange creatures - though most non-Eldar are found in slave pens & slums. Whether they hail from Commoragh or elsewhere in the webway, Dark Eldar are almost universally treacherous creatures, and Dark Eldar society is rife with backstabbing & usurping such that only the most cunning & deadly scum rises to the top. Outside of the labyrinthine politics & dangers of their own society, Dark Eldar factions launch raids into realspace via webway gates (on surfaces or in the void) to pillage and enslave other beings of all kinds. Humans are the most numerous of their prey, but all kinds of slaves can be found in the bowels of the webway - even other Eldar. In M41 the Dark Eldar continue to be a cruel thorn in the side of the galaxy. While they rarely influence things on a large scale their opportunistic actions can change the course of wars or decimate whole planets. The Dark Eldar boast that such is their power & technological achievement they could destroy the whole galaxy if they so wished. Instead however the galaxy is their cattle field, to be culled and harvested as they see fit. 'The Thirst' While they may have been shielded from the worst of The Fall the Dark Eldar still suffer its aftereffects. Without the rigid discipline of the Path System, Dark Eldar souls are slowly eaten away by Slaanesh as they are consumed with desire for sensory excesses. The only way to keep their souls from draining away is to sate these desires with acute sensory satisfaction, which inevitably errs towards extremes due to the nature of Eldar. For the common Dark Eldar a gladiatorial display or the torture of a cheap slave may keep them sated, but those who rise higher will find themselves hungering for ever greater sensations and may lay waste to entire planets to sate their appetites. The Dark Eldar go to great lengths to cheat death and avoid the consumption of their soul by She-Who-Thirsts. Their finest scientists - the fleshcrafting Haemonculi - have perfected a process of Rejuvenation that recaptures a recently deceased soul from Limbo and restores it to its original body. The Haemonculi utilise arcane sciences to restore & regrow a deceased's body from even the smallest of remnants, before the energy of tortured sacrificial slaves is used to drag the disembodied soul back into its proper vessel and restoring it to life. Dark Eldar can more safely ensure their reanimation by storing a piece of their body (for example a severed finger) somewhere safe in case their corpse cannot be recovered. Or - much more rarely - they may possess a rare soulstone that is sure to capture their soul and allow for reanimation even years later. However the services of the Haemonculi do not come cheaply, and most Eldar across Commoragh - especially warriors - will devote vast amounts of their income to the Haemonculi to ensure resurrection should misfortune befall them. Another consequence of The Fall, their lack of soulstones, and their poor resilience to the sapping influence of chaos on Dark Eldar, is their intense fear of the warp in a way that eclipses even their Craftworld cousins. Over the millennia the Dark Eldar have suppressed and rejected the naturally psychic nature of their species. Psykers of any kind are forbidden in Commoragh and many other webway cities lest they become a gateway into the empyrean, and the Dark Eldar themselves no longer produce any psychic individuals. 'Society' Dark Eldar society is lethal and highly prejudiced but has extreme mobility. The lowliest dregs can claw and murder their way to the highest stations with enough cunning & determination. Most Dark Eldar live as 'free' but underclass civilians, living & working within their webway cities as crafters, builders, entertainers and many other civilian pursuits - all with twisted Drukhari slant. Beneath them are slaves of all kinds, most of which are human but also including a near-infinite range of sapient Xenos from Tarellian to Hrud, though amongst them can also be found Eldar of all kinds - even Dark Eldar if they have found themselves captured by rivals or indebted to their betters. Above the masses and slaves are various institutions that close their doors to all but the worthy, and provide their members with much greater standing and opportunities for power. These factions are the only real form of government the Dark Eldar have, practicing feudalism-by-force on their nearest territories. Violent street gangs and rebels do exist outside these 'official' institutions, and may well be allied or opposed to their local powers. There does however exist one insurmountable class distinction in the realms of the webway, Halfborn and Trueborn. Most Dark Eldar are Halfborn, meaning that after conception their fetus was grown in artificial vats to maturity before being birthed. This is because the vast majority of Dark Eldar mothers cannot afford to be incapacitated by a lengthy Eldar pregnancy, as they will almost certainly be targeted by rivals or simply be unable to provide for themselves in their demanding society that is completely bereft of social security or other benefits. Meanwhile more powerful and privileged Dark Eldar parents can afford a natural pregnancy and birth. Whether due to a skilled & wealthy father that is able to protect & provide for his pregnant mate, or due to the couple's raw power and influence, the natural birth results in an offspring that will forever be considered Truborn. As Dark Eldar society is entirely & brutally meritocratic, no doors are necessarily closed off to Halfborns and indeed many powerful Dark Eldar figures are Halfborn, ruling over Trueborns. However Trueborns are often born into lives of greater wealth & privilege and so tend to have access to better resources and weapons, putting the odds in their favour. 'Kabals' The core of Dark Eldar power. Kabals are little more than gangs that have accrued enough wealth and power to claim large pieces of territory within webway cities as their own. They establish strongholds on their turf, recruit from the populations beneath them, and use their wealth and the civilians they rule over to supply themselves with weapons & armour, all while jockeying amongst themselves for positions within the Kabal itself. Kabals vary massively in size, power, and influence, and launch organised raids into realspace - often in conjunction with other factions - to find their operations & feed their slave pens. While primarily based on lethal personnel to slaughter and capture victims in close combat, Kabals also utilise swift & lethal skimmers and other war machines to reap their blood toll, and thanks to their advanced technologies even a light Dark Eldar skimmer can pack the firepower to bore a hole through a Leman Russ tank. More powerful Kabals can even operate starships and raid in and from the void. The leaders of Kabals are known as Archons, and by necessity they are highly intelligent, cunning, skilled warriors, and have access to unimaginably lethal technologies. 'Wych Cults' Another major power, Wyches are gladiatorial warriors who fight in great arenas for the entertainment of countless spectators, as well as control the operation & profits of the arenas themselves. Their visceral displays sate souls that hunger for blood, and Wyches are - by necessity - highly skilled in close combat as they battle monsters from across the galaxy at inhuman speeds. Wych Arenas can be found across the webway, and while most are found within allied Kabal territories some Wych Cults control their own territories around their Arenas. Wych Cults acquire new members through punishing trials and any Wych that fails in the arena may find themselves exiled from their Cult - assuming they survive their failure or are reanimated. The Cults have a hierarchy defined by skill and the leaders of a Wych Cult, the Succubi, are amongst the most dangerous melee fighters in the galaxy. Wych Cults often ally with Kabals to join their raids into realspace, or launch raids themselves (though it takes a bold Cult to raid without a Kabal's ranged support), in exchange for slaves, treasures, and beasts to use in their arenas. 'Haemonculous Covens' The scientists & fleshcrafters of the Dark Eldar, Haemonculi use miraculous technologies & methods that allow them to warp flesh, craft beings, and modify living creatures to enormous degrees. While their resurrection technology is the most prized and sought after, they are also capable of modifying customers to their specifications. Scourges, for example, are Dark Eldar that have paid the Haemonculi to graft wings onto their bodies that allow them to fly through the air. Haemonculi are enormously influential and each Coven will have its own armies of flesh warped servants & solders, including Dark Eldar that have willingly given themselves over to the Haemonculi for 'improvement'. These deformed Wracks are often desperate to sate their desires for new experiences and chase the possibility of them one day ascending to rank of Haemonculi themselves. Covens may contribute forces to realspace raids as well, often in pursuit of prized test subjects and other biological treasures in addition to conventional payment. 'Technology' Dark Eldar technology is extremely advanced - some say even more advanced than their craftworld kin. Unshackled by delusions of morality, the Dark Eldar have created some of the most miraculous and evil devices in existence. Blades that consume souls, dark matter bombs fuelled by the essence of black holes, and horrifying mutation viruses that can scour a planet in moments, are just some of the weapons Dark Eldar are known to utilise. Fortunately however such incredibly destructive weapons tend to be rarely used, as they tend to ruin the chance of seizing any slaves from the devastation they cause. Dark Eldar widely utilise pain-inducing toxins in much of their standard weaponry. The widespread & ubiquitous Splinter Weapons launch razor-sharp shards of brittle crystal filled with agonising nerve agents. Meanwhile favoured heavier weapons include tankbusting Dark Lances and plasma-spewing Disintegrators. Dark Eldar vehicles are universally skimmers, soaring over the ground at incredibly high speeds with impossible manuoevrability as daring Eldar hand from the flanks and slash eagerly with their weapons as they pass overhead. Some are fully fledged aircraft, and these dangerous fighter-bombers can run rings around human craft. 'Fleet' The Dark Eldar utilise vessels built within the webway itself. Incredibly fast & offensive ships, they err towards the small sizes but pack a ferocious punch, and while still fragile compared to Imperial ships they are notoriously difficult to hit. Many are specialised for quickly crippling and then boarding enemy ships, so they may plunder slaves and treasures. Dark Eldar rarely engage in large fleet actions due to their low tonnage, but they are amongst the most feared of all void reavers and are even known to raid planets from orbit if there is no webway gate on the surface for them to use (or they may attack through a gate and from orbit at the same time). Exodite Eldar The first to recognise the growing evils of the Eldar Empire, Exodites are Eldar that live a volunarily primitive existence on scattered natural worlds. This lifestyle - usually - protects their psyches from the temptations of excess as they are typically kept far too busy working to survive to trouble themselves with soul-draining decadance. While exodites are highly insular and present zero interstellar threat, they have been catalysts for enormous conflcits. Exodite worlds - like the Maiden Worlds - tend to be rich in natural resources and are therefore potentially valuable to the Imperium among other species. Conflict arises as invaders try to claim exodite worlds, but craftworlders - often protective of their exodite kin - quickly get involved and massive wars erupt. 'Overview' Long before The Fall, before the mighty Craftworlds even began construction, some Eldar were already speaking out against the growing degeneracies of their species. They believed that the Eldar had fallen victim to their own success, that their lives - through technology - had become so easy they had lost all meaning. Derided as foolish simpletons within the Empire, these primitivist rebels departed for far-off worlds across the galaxy to live their naturistic lifestyles in peace. Ultimately vindicated in their beliefs by The Fall, Exodite souls are still predated upon by Slaanesh after death. To avoid beings consumed, Eldar Exodites have turned the entire biosphere of their worlds into natural Infinity Circuits called World Spirits. Any exodite that dies on their world is absorped into the World Spirit afterlife, with no need for Soulstones. Therefore Exodites will defend their world to the very last life, and are loathe to leave it unless a soulstone is available to keep their soul safe. On their natural worlds exodites live their primitive lives, in manners that can vary greatly from basic tribalism to high feudalism. They tend to have strong links with nature and use all kinds of beasts for many purposes, and while nominally peaceful, Exodites are still susceptible to falling into conflict with each other for all manner of practical or ideological reasons. 'Worldsingers' Much like Craftworlders, some Exodites have much stronger psychic powers than their kin. These psyker exodites tend to err towards the powers of biomancy and the manipulation of their natural environments, and hold positions of significant influence within their respective tribes/settlements/kingdoms. Known as Worldsingers or Priests/Priestesses, these Exodite psykers are also terrifically long-lived like the Farseers of Craftworlds. They use their powers to aid their kin by curing diseases and manipulating nature to construct things, as well as healing Exodites that have suffered an injury too grievous for their medicines to handle. This allows Exodites to live rich, full lives despite their primitive lifestyle. 'Military' While the more tribalist Exodite groups tend to have hunters who serve as their warriors if necessary, only the larger feudal-style exodite groups can have standing armies and guard forces for protecting their borders and keeping the peace. These warriors will use feudal weapons of war: spears, shields, bows and metal armours, and use various beasts of war. But Eldar physiology makes them potent and lethal regardless. Again, conflict between or within exodite factiions on a given exodite world are extremely rare, but wherever their is competition for territory and resources there can be conflict. Meanwhile on a smaller scale there is always the possibility of criminal exodites disrupting their own societies with theft & other selfish behaviours. It would seem that while primitive living prevented the exodites from falling into total debauchery, it also re-opened the door for practical immoralities to beset the weak-of-will as general living became harder without technology. Critically however, the one exception to the Exodites rejection of technology is revealed should they come under attack from alien factions from offworld, such as Orks or the Imperium. Against any technologically advanced foe the Exodites distribute caches of modern Eldar weapons that allow them to combat their invaders on a more even footing. Thus can apparent primitives end up slaughtering overconfident invaders, and Exodites are almost fanatical in the defence of their world. Exodites only ever use these weapons against offworld invaders that are technologically advanced themselves, as to do otherwise would be a complete betrayal of their almost religious way of life. Outcast Eldar While the bulk of the Eldar species' remnants are Craftworlders, Drukhari, and Exodites, there exists many scattered factions that don't accurately fit any of these and instead forge a path of their own. While Eldar can be born into such a life, most are craftworld Eldar who wish to escape the stifling path system, and some spend decades or even centuries as Outcasts, often building great reputations amongst their outcast faction. Some Dark Eldar also choose to become Outcasts, rejecting life in the webway for any number of reasons including exile, self-preservation or - perhaps most rarely - a way to escape the barbarism of their people. Most uncommon are Exodite Outcasts, who can very occasionally be found wandering the galaxy and seeking adventure outside of their cloistered world. Most Eldar Outcasts - having hailed from Craftworlds - have soulstones in case they die during their period of adventure, which can be returned to their craftworld's infinity circuit. Outcasts that were Dark Eldar may have a resurrection pact with a Haemonculous or may simply risk the doom of their soul willingly - though if they're lucky they may have been able to acquire a soulstone themselves. Typically an Exodite will only venture beyond their own world if they can acquire a soulstone for the period, which - if they die - can be returned to their home's World Spirit. While technically beyond the authority of their home, craftworld outcasts can often be found answering a call to battle from their craftworld. They typically bring unique military strengths to the craftworld's forces in battle as well as experience on the outside galaxy that isolated craftworlders may be ignorant of. Usually an Outcast will not stay as such for their whole lives. More often than not a craftworld, exodite, or dark eldar outcast will eventually return to their home. A very few however may return to a faction different from whence they came. A craftworld or exodite outcast may find themselves descending too far into freedom & excess, and become Dark Eldar. Exodites may decide they would prefer a life aboard a craftworld, or vice versa. Most rarely a Dark Eldar may purge themselves of their debased needs through a tremendous strength of will, and take up the disciplined life of a craftworlder or exodite. Once Outcast an Eldar is free to do almost anything they wish. Some are peaceful nomadic wanderers, others violent criminal-esque opportunists. Some live alone, some live in groups, and some live in great crews & warbands. Some live on long-lost verdant worlds untouched by other sapients, some live in the shadows beneath other societies such as in the depths of Imperial Hives. Some are self-sufficient workers or hunter-gatherers, others may be mercenaries, while others still may simply take whatever they need from whoever they can plunder. Despite this infinite variation, Outcast Eldar often fall into broad categories or specific local Outcast factions. Some are outlined below: 'Rangers' Nomadic wanderes who often travel alone or in small groups. Rangers are hunter-gatherers who master the environment they live in, and while they usually prefer natural environments like forests & plains, some instead prefer to move amongst urban & artificial environments like shadows. Self-sufficient, Rangers often hunt for themselves and live off the land, though may sell their services as trackers & hunters as well. While a Ranger can take many forms they often prefer to don camouflaged cloaks and use powerful sniping rifles of Eldar design, and are excellent marksmen. Rangers who spend many decades or centuries in the wilderness come to be known as Pathfinders, and are amongst the finest sharpshooters & survivalists in the galaxy. Rangers may be called upon by their craftworld of origin to serve as snipers and scouts in battle, and those that answer this call are a great danger on the battlefield to enemy commanders. 'Corsairs' A broad category in itself, Corsairs are Outcasts that have chosen a voidborne life aboard Eldar vessels that ply the stars and webway across the galaxy, and are often based on Haven-class Spires hidden in the deep void or even the webway itself. Corsairs are tight-knight crews and a given Corsair band could number anywhere from a single small escort to a mighty fleet. Some Corsair bands may even have non-Eldar members, though they are almost always an exploited underclass that is taken advantage of. Many Corsairs - as their name suggests - are piratical in nature, indiscriminately plundering ships for loot, wealth & supplies. Typically the only ships a piratical Corsair band won't target are those of other Eldar. Some bands may threaten & intimidate with their superior ships to demand tolls of gold & grain, while others may take a more violent path by crippling ships without warning and butchering & enslaving their crews without mercy, while others can do anything in between. Others could be more selective with their targets, or may just wander through space exploring new worlds. Many can be hired as mercenaries and a given crew could vary from passive to bloodthirsty depending on their leaders, makeup, and method of operation. While typically only a minor nuisance in the scope of the Imperial Navy, the largest Corsair Fleets can - when marshalled - turn the tides of entire crusades. Harlequins The most mysterious and esoteric faction of the Eldar remnants. Harlequins are devotees of Cegorach, The Laughing God - one of the few surviving Eldar gods - and are committed utterly to the opposition of the forces of Chaos. They are known to appear in the most unexpected of places to battle the forces of the warp or things that threaten to empower them (including, potentially, Imperials), and are unbelievably dangerus & agile close combatants able to go toe-to-toe with lesser daemons and emerge victorious. Their second duty is as preservers of Eldar history. The Harlequins are at their core porformers for whom warfare is but another type of show. Harlequin Troupes - small bands of the colourfully adorned performers - and Harlequin Masques - larger groups of several Troupes - travel between Craftworlds, Exodite Worlds, and even the Dark Cities of the webway (though mostly the first) to perform artistic reenactments of great events in Eldar history. Thus they keep knowledge alive amongst their kin and have done for countless millennia. On extremely rare occasions, they have also performed for non-Eldar they believe to be worthy to know the history of the Eldar. 'Personnel & Technology' Harlequins seem to recruit from every other Eldar faction, accepting any who share their deep desire to destroy chaos & preserve history. Once a Harlequin they don unique masks and their souls to the Laughing God, meaing they have nothing to fear from Slaanesh after death. The best of their numbers are known as Solitaires, who move from troupe to troupe and can eviscerate a dozen men in an instant, and have already given up their soul to the warp making them soulless pariahs. As stated, Harlequins are acrobatic performers & entertainers and they utilise these skills on the battlefield. Harlequin Masques are mostly personnel with some swift, light skimmers for transportation and minor fire support. They tend to engage in personal combat as quickly as possible - often by ambush - and slice their foes apart with acrobatic dances of death. To aid them in battle Harlequins utilise gravity defying flip belts and holo suits that constantly distort their appearence, making them appear as a flickering ghost of blurred colours. They use potent close combat weapons and anti-warp devices, and have a great knowledge of the webway allowing them to appear wherever they need to. Harlequins are also exceptionally stealthy & cunning, and have been known to infiltrate the most secure places or even allow themselves to be captured in order to get wherever they need to be. However the Harlequins do not have any known void fleet, relying instead on other Eldar vessels to carry them through the stars like nomads when the webway is not enough. Category:Eldar Category:Xenos Category:Dark Eldar